Nhan Dan - Following the initial success of the programme 'Impressive Vietnam' in 2009 with a promotion campaign supported by tourism agents and provinces nationwide which made a contribution to putting a check on recession as well as preserving the hospitality industry’s revenues, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has recently launched a new campaign named 'Vietnam - Your Destination'. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) will act as a clue to implement the programme in co-ordination with other relevant agencies.   

Promoting shopping tourism

According to VNAT General Director Nguyen Van Tuan, the programme aims to increase the number of tourists both in domestic and key foreign markets and strive to receive around 4.2 million international arrivals and about 27-28 million domestic holidaymakers. The programme approved by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been implemented since early March with seven main contents, in which efforts have been focused on the campaign of 'Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale 2010' in the slack season to attract more tourists. 'Shopping tourism' is a form of tourism that has seen a rapid development and is a key source of revenues of the tourism sector in many countries in the region.

The VNAT will co-ordinate with the Trade Promotion Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Vietnam Airlines to deploy the programme August and September in some major cities and tourism centres of Vietnam such as Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Supermarkets, shopping centres, handicrafts shops, hotels, restaurants, transport agents and tourism sites are expected to join the programme. Accordingly, the participating units and agents will register with the Industry and Trade Department and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the above-said cities. After that, the department will officially keep the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the VNAT informed of it.

A number of shopping, handicraft and dinner streets in the above-said cities will be selected to join the programme. Some promotion activities include organising prize draws, opening ‘Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale Fair 2010’ with discounts ranging from 10-50% offered. The campaign will be supported through various manners such as supporting via VAT refund, tourist privilege cards or shopping coupons, etc... At the selling sites under the programme, what tourists need to do is to show their passports or ID cards only to receive these privilege cards.

Planning promotion tours

As planned, Vietnam Airlines will extend invitation tickets to delegations of press and enterprises from key markets to conduct surveys on products and write articles to expand the programme. Besides, Vietnam Airlines will also apply the special price policy to several joint co-operative programmes with the Ministry of Industry and Trade in the process of deploying the 'Vietnam - Your Destination' programme in provinces. The national flag carrier will also co-ordinate to arrange the price for some domestic tours with discounts based on the season of flight and focusing on the slack season according to the list provided by selected travel agents who offer privilege tickets for domestic tourists. Moreover, the VNAT in association with Vietnamese Embassies abroad, the National Committee for overseas Vietnamese and Vietnam Airlines, will organise meetings launch the campaign with overseas Vietnamese communities in four countries: France, the UK, the USA and Australia in order to encourage them to participate in the campaign by introducing attractive Vietnamese tourism sites to international friends.     

A promotion programme for currently visiting Vietnam with the message of 'Vietnam - Warmly Welcome You All' will also be stepped up on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi. In the meantime, efforts are made to clean up the environment and building standard public toilets in all cities, tourism centres and highways. 

Together with formulating and making public the criteria for point rating for tourism sites, travel and service agents, the VNAT will conduct surveys and build new tourism products in order to diversify and raise the quality of tourism products, especially the MICE segment (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions). Travel agents will make specific products for some major markets. Each market should have at least one special promotion tour which helps tourists to have a chance to experience the Vietnamese culture, history, traditional arts, customs, world heritages, shopping or food and drink and sea resort tourism.

According to Vu The Binh. Head of the Travel Department under the VNAT, in order to facilitate enterprises in response to the promotion programme in 2010, the VNAT has made a proposal to the Prime Minister through the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to exempt entry visas for international tourists to Vietnam during the implementation of the 'Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale 2010' and for FAMTRIP international delegations of press and travel agents as well as promulgate preferential financial policy for the tourism sector to carry out the above-said programmes.    

However, in order to effectively deploy the programme this year as well as improving the shortcomings during the 'Impressive Vietnam' last year, it is required that all enterprises, provinces and relevant agencies should have a closer co-ordination and stronger co-operation while all commitments from travel agents and service providers should be carried out according to the programme duration.  

By Tien Cuong